PASIR PUTEH – The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) thwarted a smuggling attempt with the seizure of one million sticks of white cigarettes worth over RM1 million, including tax, in Tumpat last Tuesday.
Kelantan MMEA director Captain Syed Nor Adli Syed Ab Rahman said the seizure was made after the enforcement team spotted a suspicious fishing boat moving at a speed in the waters of the Tumpat estuary at about 3.30am on November 29.
“The MMEA patrol boat went after the suspicious boat, but lost sight of the fishing boat when it entered the shallow waters of Sg Padang Tambun and requested the assistance of its team on land to search for the boat,” he told a press conference at the Kelantan MMEA headquarters in Tok Bali today.
Syed Nor Adli said during the search, the enforcement team found two lorries on the banks of Sg Tambun at 6.10am and following a check, found 70 packages of black plastic in one of the lorries, while in the other, there were 30 similar packages.
“All these 100 packs contain about one million white cigarettes. The value of the seized items including taxes is estimated at RM1,045,000,” he said, adding that the cigarettes were believed to have been transferred into the lorries from the boat. – Bernama, December 1, 2022
